Michigan State University Athletics
Hildebrand Named Big Ten Player of the Year
3/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Michigan State junior goaltender Jake Hildebrand has been voted the Big Ten Player of the Year, it was announced by the conference office on Monday, March 16. Hildebrand was one of four Spartans that earned All-Big Ten honors as defenseman Travis Walsh was named Second Team All-Big Ten, forward Matt Berry garnered Honorable Mention All-Big Ten and defenseman Josh Jacobs was voted to the All-Freshman Team.
Additionally, Hildebrand was the unanimous Goaltender of the Year selection, earning him a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team.
"Jake gives us a chance to win each night and he's certainly very deserving of this honor," MSU head coach Tom Anastos said. "He has been our team's best player all season and it's nice to see his body of work recognized by the league's head coaches and media. It's great to have four members of our team - Jake, Travis, Matt and Josh - honored and it's something we all take pride in as a program."
Hildebrand has been the Spartans' backbone this season, having started all 34 games and allowing two or fewer goals in 20 of those contests. He is the Big Ten leader in both goals-against average (2.12) and save percentage (.930). His six shutouts are the second most of any goaltender in the nation.
"It's very humbling and I think it really reflects on our team's dedication to defense," Hildebrand said. "So much credit goes to the coaches, especially our goaltending coach Mike Gilmore. My goalie partners have been supportive all year, so I have to thank them as well."
The native of Butler, Pennsylvania, has been even better in Big Ten games, posting a 1.94 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. He allowed two or fewer goals in 13 of 20 league games and posted five shutouts.
Since Jan. 1, Hildebrand leads the nation in save percentage (.950), ranks sixth in goals-against average (1.55) and has posted five shutouts - second most in the country - over the 16-game stretch.
Hildebrand's six shutouts this season have come against: Ferris State (Dec. 28, 31 saves), Ohio State (Jan. 24, 22 saves), Penn State (Feb. 13, 28 saves) and Wisconsin (Feb. 21, 31 saves; March 6, 21 saves; and March 7, 38 saves).
Hildebrand's stellar season has placed his name among the best goaltenders in Michigan State history. His 10-career shutouts are fifth most in MSU history - two behind Chad Alban (1994-98) and Jeff Lerg (2005-09) for third place.
Hildebrand surpassed both Ryan Miller (1999-2002) and Norm Foster (1984-87) on the Spartan career saves list this season and is now tied with Alban for sixth place on the chart as both have 2,735 stops.
Hildebrand, who has been named the Big Ten's First Star of the Week a league-high four times this season, is the eighth Spartan in program history to earn conference player of the year honors. Torey Krug was the last Spartan to earn player of the year (CCHA) honors in 2012, while Miller was the last goaltender to earn the distinction in 2002.
Prior to Hildebrand, Dominic Vicari was the last MSU netminder to be named conference goaltender of the year (CCHA) in 2004.
Walsh was voted to the second team as he produced a career-high 14 points from the blue line this season. The versatile defenseman played in all situations as a key component of both the power play and penalty kill.
Walsh garnered all-league accolades despite missing the final five games of the season after suffering a broken jaw on a blocked shot Feb. 26 at Minnesota. His 63 blocked shots are still second on the team this year.
The junior from Haslett scored his first-career goal on Nov. 1 in a win over Ferris State, starting a three-game point streak. Walsh added another tally the following game in a victory at UNH.
Walsh started the season with an assist in both games vs. UMass and later had assists in consecutive games at Princeton.
Berry averaged a point per game as he led MSU with 28 points (11g, 17a) this season. In conference games, Berry produced 17 points (5g, 12a) in the 17 contests in which he appeared.
Since returning to the lineup on Jan. 23, Berry has put up 15 points (4g, 11a) in 14 games. The senior from Canton had a four-point weekend in the sweep of Wisconsin (March 6-7), including netting both game-winning goals.
Berry is instrumental on the Spartan power play, producing a team-high 13 points on the man-advantage, which is fifth most in the Big Ten.
Berry started the year with back-to-back 2-1-3 scoring lines in two games vs. UMass. He went on to post a team-high 10 multi-point games, seven of which came in conference play, including three of the final five games of the season.
Jacobs has appeared in all 34 games in his rookie campaign. The native of Shelby Township leads MSU in blocked shots with 69, which ranks second in the league.
Offensively, he has produced eight assists - second among MSU defensemen. His first collegiate point came in the form of an assist in a win over Ferris State on Nov. 1. He has assists in two of the last four games, including one on the game-winning goal scored by Berry vs. Wisconsin on March 7.
Jacobs, who has been paired with Walsh on the blue line nearly all season, has helped anchor the Big Ten's No. 1 penalty kill (.860).
Junior captain Michael Ferrantino was named MSU's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
The All-Big Ten teams were selected by the league's head coaches and media voting panel.
Michigan State (17-15-2) earned the No. 2 seed in this week's Big Ten Tournament and will play either Michigan or Wisconsin in the semifinals on Friday at 8 p.m. at Joe Louis Arena.
